1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an ink cartridge device for use with an ink jet printer.
2. Prior Art
FIGS. 9A and 9B show a conventional ink cartridge. The ink cartridge 80 is comprised of a cartridge body 82 having three (YMC) ink reservoirs 81 for holding yellow ink, magenta ink, and cyan ink, a delivery port-sealing film 84 sealing ink delivery ports 83 of the cartridge body 82, and an air inlet port -sealing film 87 sealing ink-charging ports 85 and air inlet ports 86 of the cartridge body 82. In the state constructed above, the ink cartridge 80 is enclosed in an aluminum package, not shown, for shipment. Ink in the cartridge body 82 is made liable to degradation by exposure to air. To avoid this inconvenience, the ink cartridge 80 has the ink delivery ports 83 thereof sealed by the delivery port-sealing film 84, and then, after being charged with ink from the ink-charging ports 85 in a vacuum chamber, the ink-charging ports 85 and air inlet ports 86 are sealed by the air inlet port-sealing film 87. In this state, the ink cartridge 80 is vacuum-packed in an aluminum package for supply to the user.
When the ink cartridge 80 is used by the user, first, the aluminum package is unsealed to take out the ink cartridge 80, and thereafter, part (peel-off portion 87a) of the air inlet port-sealing film 87 is peeled off, and the air inlet ports (actually, upstream ends of meandering air inlet passages continuous with the respective air inlet ports) 86 are opened to the atmosphere, while the delivery port-sealing film 84 is peeled off to open the ink delivery ports 83. In this state, the ink cartridge 80 is loaded in a printer.
The conventional ink cartridge having the above construction suffers from the problem that when the delivery port-sealing film is removed from (peeled off) the cartridge body, ink held in the vicinity of the ink delivery ports may be scattered (spilled) and ink adhering to the delivery port-sealing film, particularly, a delivery port-sealing portion thereof may touch the user's hand, so that the user's hand, a desk, or the like can be stained with the ink. Further, there is a fear that the user forgets to peel off the delivery port-sealing film and loads the ink cartridge still covered therewith in the printer. Further, the conventional ink cartridge has the inconvenience that since the inside of the cartridge body is under reduced pressure, air can be mixed into ink to cause a faulty printing operation, unless the films are peeled off in order of the air inlet port - sealing film, first, and then the delivery port-sealing film, in accordance with an instruction manual of the ink cartridge supplied to the user.